Accessible tourism
One in 5 Australians have a disability. Making your tourism business accessible is not only the right thing to do, it makes good business sense.
Tourism Australia defines accessible tourism as the ongoing endeavour to ensure tourist destinations, products and services are accessible to all people regardless of their physical limitations, disability, or age.
People with access requirements include:
- those with young children in prams
- seniors with mobility requirements
- people with hearing, vision or sensory impairments
- people with permanent or temporary disabilities.
Access requirements may include physical/mobility, vision and/or cognitive.
Our checklists, learning videos and podcasts can help you make sure everyone can take part in your tourism experience.
Online learning videos
The accessible tourism online learning videos cover a range of topics so you can feel confident in welcoming guests with a range of access requirements into your business.
Podcasts
Igniting accessible experiences
This 6 episode podcast series is designed to help you make your tourism services more accessible and inclusive. Hosts Ben Pettingill and Bridie McKim talk with people with disability and tourism operators to uncover insights from both perspectives, shedding light on the experience of accessing and providing accessible tourism.
Episodes and playlists are available on Spotify and Apple.
Accessed That
Accessed That explores what it's like to travel as a person with a disability through this 11-episode podcast series. Hosts Oliver Hunter, a comedian with Cerebral Palsy, and Paralympic swimmer Karni Liddell, chat to travel lovers about their experience navigating the world, hearing the highs, the lows and the low down from the people who have been there, accessed that.
Resources
- Quality Tourism Accredited Business accessibility program
- Micro-credentialing program for offering services to guests with disability (QTIC members only)
- Accessible and inclusive host business development program
- Transformational experiences guide (PDF, 11.4MB)
- The WELCOME Framework guide to start the accessible tourism journey and reduce barriers.
- Autism Queensland's Accommodate us: an inclusive tool kit for Tourism Accommodation helps tourism accommodation providers offer inclusive experiences for autistic and neurodivergent visitors.
- CPL's Anywhere: accessibility and inclusion resources helps industry address specific needs for including people with disability at events and tourism destinations.
- Guide Dogs Queensland's accessible tourism toolkit helps operators improve travel and accommodation accessibility for people with low vision and blindness.
- Braille House's Making tourism accessible for blind and low vision visitors assists tourism operators in making venues accessible to people who are blind or have low vision
- Queensland Disability Network
- Autism Queensland
- Braille House
- Better Hearing Australia Brisbane
- Carers Queensland
- Council of the Aging Queensland
- Deaf Connect
- Down Syndrome Queensland
- Guide Dogs Queensland
- Queensland Alliance for Mental Health
- Spinal Life Australia
- Synapse
- Xavier Children's Support Network
Accredited access consultants and architects can assist you with accessibility design in the built environment:
Also consider...
- Subscribe to accessible tourism news.
- Be inspired by Queensland tourism case studies putting accessibility into action.
- Support to employ people with disabilities.
- Tourism accessibility projects should align with the Queensland's Disability Plan.